TSMC has reportedly won a very large production order from Intel. A next-generation Battlemage graphics processing unit is on order, as well as a subsequent Celestial architecture GPU.Taiwan’s commercial times cites industry sources for insider information. It also includes some tantalizing news nuggets on process, timing, and volume.
The success of Intel’s first generation of consumer GPUs is open to several interpretations. The Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card (using TSMC 6nm silicon) has been long overdue, but is now widely available and appears to have been heavily discounted to shift inventory. We have reviews of Intel’s Arc A770 16GB, Arc A750, and Arc A380, and thanks to competitive pricing, some of these even rank among the best graphics cards.Intel is a well-known brand. , offering a third GPU architecture choice for die-hard fans who don’t blindly follow the brand. On a most positive note, the driver team has exceeded expectations with the speed and quality of updates in recent months.
A Taiwanese insider says Intel is continuing its next-generation GPU R&D program as previously planned. You may be wondering when these generations of GPUs will be available. According to sources, “Intel plans to launch 2nd generation Battlemage graphics chips with Xe2 architecture in late 2024 and 3rd generation Celestial graphics chips with Xe3 architecture in late 2026.” Battlemage It is also said that the GPU will be manufactured on TSMC 4nm and Celestial will be manufactured on TSMC’s 3nm process.
There are some Intel naysayers and Intel conspiracy theorists — and the recent resignation of Raja Koduri doesn’t seem too positive. claims to be aware of From a consumer perspective, gaming/eSports continues to thrive, and business/enterprise still has a growing need for accelerators for AI and other intensive computing tasks.
The latest official information we have about Battlemage came through a tech press interview with Intel Fellow Tom Peterson earlier this year. He revealed that Intel learned from some of his mistakes with Alchemist. That generation had his four targeted microarchitectures, but in the second generation he will focus on his two: Xe2-LPG and Xe2-HPG. It is hoped that this focus will prevent delays, streamline driver development and make it more economical.
Intel has quite a lot of time between now and the rumored launch of Battlemage in the second half of 2024. The arrival of new Intel hardware still seems far away, but new products from AMD and Nvidia are sure to come in the meantime. As such, Intel’s driver team must continue to work hard on pushing updates and performance tuning to get the most performance out of their existing silicon. This means potential buyers won’t have to worry about drivers when Battlemage comes along.
